Neighbour selling cars on our street. Is it Illegal?

For the past few years we have been having problems with a neighbour who lives just down the road. He is a mechanic, and buys cars at auction does them up and then sells them on. There is nothing really wrong in that, except he has no offstreet parking and lives in a terraced house. So the cars are parked all over the street taking up valuable parking space and in some instances causing an obstruction.

At the moment he has the family car outside the house. Then, next to that another battered old thing that he is the process of tinkering with. Then he has another car for sale parked across the road on the grassy verge. Then he has about three cars also for sale parked along the main road in a lay by that is supposed to be for the old people's bungalows down there. I should mention that all of his work is done on the road. Walking along the pavement can be dangerous with all his tools lying everywhere. Plus he has one of the cars balanced on bricks because they have no tyres.

Ive checked the cars and they are all taxed. So they are not breaking the law in that sense. But it is a damb nuisance. Parking is diffucult enough around here without him taking up all of the potential spaces. I know Im not the only person annoyed by him, but he is apparently quite shifty and people are scared of complaining to him directly. What can we do? Is he even breaking the law?

You could try giving the health and safety excutive a ring and see what they say about the matter. If he its his bussiness he would need public liability insurance. If its a bit of extra cash on the side you could try the tax office.

I'd contact the local council trading standards and the police, quote them the 'Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005', it's quite clear your neighbour is operating illegally, take a look at what the law says here -

For the past few years we have been having problems with a neighbour who lives just down the road. He is a mechanic, and buys cars at auction does them up and then sells them on. There is nothing really wrong in that, except he has no offstreet parking and lives in a terraced house. So the cars are parked all over the street taking up valuable parking space and in some instances causing an obstruction.

At the moment he has the family car outside the house. Then, next to that another battered old thing that he is the process of tinkering with. Then he has another car for sale parked across the road on the grassy verge. Then he has about three cars also for sale parked along the main road in a lay by that is supposed to be for the old people's bungalows down there. I should mention that all of his work is done on the road. Walking along the pavement can be dangerous with all his tools lying everywhere. Plus he has one of the cars balanced on bricks because they have no tyres.

Ive checked the cars and they are all taxed. So they are not breaking the law in that sense. But it is a damb nuisance. Parking is diffucult enough around here without him taking up all of the potential spaces. I know Im not the only person annoyed by him, but he is apparently quite shifty and people are scared of complaining to him directly. What can we do? Is he even breaking the law?

Just what the world needs....another sly hypocrit wanting to report neighbours, checking tax discs in the street whilst saying nothing to the person they are sneakily checking up on.
Maybe your neighbours are all calling you, wishing YOU lived in another street prying into different neighbours private affairs.

Just what the world needs....another sly hypocrit wanting to report neighbours, checking tax discs in the street whilst saying nothing to the person they are sneakily checking up on.
Maybe your neighbours are all calling you, wishing YOU lived in another street prying into different neighbours private affairs.

Checking Tax Discs in the street. YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!

That is one of, if not the most ridiculous posts I've read in my life. This is clearly pissing the OP off and if it was causing a nuisance for my property I'd feel exactly the same. How would you like it?

Anyway, its an offence under the 1980 Highways Act to sell vehicles from a public highway. You can be done for it.

This should be reported to the local council's highway enforcement team. Its illegal. The Act gives authorities powers to impound them and charge the owners for their return. You are probably OK to sell one car privately if you park it close to your property.

And incidentally, anyone buying one is a bigger idiot than the person selling them.

Just what the world needs....another sly hypocrit wanting to report neighbours, checking tax discs in the street whilst saying nothing to the person they are sneakily checking up on.
Maybe your neighbours are all calling you, wishing YOU lived in another street prying into different neighbours private affairs.

Checking Tax Discs in the street. YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!

i don't see how the OP is being a hypocrite, do you understand what the word means?

Its hardly a private matter if the neighbour is doing something illegal and it is having a direct impact on his neighbours.

Just what the world needs....another sly hypocrit wanting to report neighbours, checking tax discs in the street whilst saying nothing to the person they are sneakily checking up on.
Maybe your neighbours are all calling you, wishing YOU lived in another street prying into different neighbours private affairs.

Checking Tax Discs in the street. YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!

Where I live now I don't have any parking problems, but a few years ago the parking across my part of the borough was horrendous. Parking in the street I lived in was a luxury, I almost always had to park in a neighbouring road. Mabus, when neighbours actions affect you, they stop becoming private. Faxy Fowler is right in their post too, about all the points they raise.

I have a similar problem here, the guy opposite sells cars from his house, occasionally he has untaxed cars.
The police said its a DVLA problem not the polices.
I report the untaxed cars via the DVLA website and via the local council website under abandoned cars.
(Council also said it wasnt there problem)

Apparently though it is against the law if he is running a business from his house but not registated.

Just what the world needs....another sly hypocrit wanting to report neighbours, checking tax discs in the street whilst saying nothing to the person they are sneakily checking up on.
Maybe your neighbours are all calling you, wishing YOU lived in another street prying into different neighbours private affairs.

Checking Tax Discs in the street. YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!

I'm guessing you don't pay your road tax then or you're a neighbour from hell...you people make ME sick and I would gladly report you!

Just what the world needs....another sly hypocrit wanting to report neighbours, checking tax discs in the street whilst saying nothing to the person they are sneakily checking up on.
Maybe your neighbours are all calling you, wishing YOU lived in another street prying into different neighbours private affairs.

Checking Tax Discs in the street. YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!

I would quite happily say it to your face if I think your taking the piss.

Just what the world needs....another sly hypocrit wanting to report neighbours, checking tax discs in the street whilst saying nothing to the person they are sneakily checking up on.
Maybe your neighbours are all calling you, wishing YOU lived in another street prying into different neighbours private affairs.

Checking Tax Discs in the street. YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!

So you think its acceptable to leave untaxed cars on the road? My car is both taxed and insured.

I don't see how it is a private affair really when he is dumping his tatty old banger all over my street.

people who don't tax/insure cars make me sick. i've reported a few down our road. parking is hard where ilive and if someone's using a space with an untaxed car I won't think twice about reporting it. Having said that our council are crap and one i reported 5 wks ago is still sitting there so it makes me wonder what's the point.

if you were stopped by the police with no tax what would they do - get you to produce docs withing 7 days or confiscate the vehicle. I can't see why the police don't get involved in parked untaxed cars as my council who should remove them do nothing about them.

For the past few years we have been having problems with a neighbour who lives just down the road. He is a mechanic, and buys cars at auction does them up and then sells them on. There is nothing really wrong in that, except he has no offstreet parking and lives in a terraced house. So the cars are parked all over the street taking up valuable parking space and in some instances causing an obstruction.

At the moment he has the family car outside the house. Then, next to that another battered old thing that he is the process of tinkering with. Then he has another car for sale parked across the road on the grassy verge. Then he has about three cars also for sale parked along the main road in a lay by that is supposed to be for the old people's bungalows down there. I should mention that all of his work is done on the road. Walking along the pavement can be dangerous with all his tools lying everywhere. Plus he has one of the cars balanced on bricks because they have no tyres.

Ive checked the cars and they are all taxed. So they are not breaking the law in that sense. But it is a damb nuisance. Parking is diffucult enough around here without him taking up all of the potential spaces. I know Im not the only person annoyed by him, but he is apparently quite shifty and people are scared of complaining to him directly. What can we do? Is he even breaking the law?

Could you not do the neighbourly thing, take him a cup of coffee, and offer him some of your front garden for his work ?

What a load of rubbish, I don't even know him. Why should I accept my road being used as a giant car show room just so he can make a few extra quid?

If he wants to do that sort of thing he should rent a workshop or lock up somewhere.

I agree. Parking is a nightmare in most large towns and cities, with London being particularly bad. If someone is making money out of repairing and selling cars on a regular basis, they're a business. They should be paying business rates and renting space, not using domestic public land to run their business from. If it causes you to have parking problems, go for it, there's a reason these laws are in place, and that's to sort out problems like this.

You could try giving the health and safety excutive a ring and see what they say about the matter. If he its his bussiness he would need public liability insurance. If its a bit of extra cash on the side you could try the tax office.

Public liability insurance is not needed, its just there if you want to take it out.